HISTORY OF WHEAT PRODUCTION IN NEW ZEALAND 127 



It has already been pointed out that in many districts 

 wheat growing is best carried on with sheep farming, 

 in a word, that mixed farming is the most profitable 

 method in New Zealand. For the frozen meat industry 

 some form of cereal growing is almost necessary for the 

 purpose of fattening sheep and lambs. Moreover, the 

 best wheat crops are grown under a good and systematic 

 crop rotation of which root crops, very useful for winter 

 feed, form an essential part. Thus, although wheat grow- 

 ing has suffered at the expense of more extensive sheep 

 farming, it is nevertheless very unlikely that, while in 

 occasional years, such as 1914, there is a temporary 

 tendency to abandon wheat production, agriculture will 

 finally give way to pastoral pursuits. During the past 

 two decades this tendency has been manifest, but how 

 far it is likely to continue is a matter for speculation, 

 of which more will be said in the concluding chapter. 



2. Dairy Farming. The second industry which is 

 becoming a competitor of wheat growing for the use of 

 the land is the dairying industry. This industry has 

 long been established in the Dominion, the exports of 

 butter and cheese in 1854 being 807 cwt. and 169 

 cwt. respectively. Up till the end of last century the 

 industry, however, was not very important, but it then 

 began to attract attention as a pursuit, for which the 

 country had great advantages. Since then many factors 

 have stimulated its progress. The establishment of 

 "creameries" throughout many parts of the country, 

 the development of the refrigerating process, and the 

 success of home separators have been very active factors ; 

 of recent years prices have shown a rising tendency; 

 lastly the Government has given much encouragement 

 to the industry. 



Under these stimuli the exports of butter and cheese 

 each considerably over 100,000 cwt. in 1900, have steadily 

 risen, and in 1914 were 434,067 cwt. and 863,776 cwt. 



